1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to memory in a portable electronic device and, more particularly, to a system and method for making memory space available.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
Nokia Corporation offers a PC connectivity tool (PC Suite) that makes it possible to connect a phone to a computer, such as a personal computer (PC). With PC Suite a phone can appear as a removable disk drive in the operating system of the PC. Then it is possible for the user to copy image/video files from the phone to the PC using tools provided by PC operating system (for example, Windows Explorer, etc.). It is also possible to develop software on top of PC Suite that takes care of image transfer. Examples of these are done by Adobe, and HP.
It is possible to detach a memory card from the phone and install it into a card reader that is attached to a PC. Again the memory card will appear as a removable disk of the PC and images can be copied.
U.S. Patent Publication No. US2004201737 describes an image capturing device including a processor, at least one interface, and a memory. The memory is capable of storing a plurality of records. A record includes image storage data, date/time data, and status data. The processor determines whether any of the images in the memory have been archived as indicated by the status information in the status storage cell of the records, and replaces one or more archived images with newly captured images as the device is used. This discloses the use of a “flag” in order to determine which previously saved items can be deleted, as they have been stored elsewhere.
EP0298446 describes reduction in image quality in order to be printed by a device with limited buffer memory. The publication outlines that it is possible to reduce images already stored in order to make sure it can be forwarded via a smaller buffer. The choosing of which images to be “shrunk” is based on the use of a flag, similar to US2004201737. However, because this European application relates to the deletion of images it does not relate to the advantage that all images can be retained in some format within a handset.
U.S. Patent Publication No. US2004075750 describes auto changing of the quality settings when the memory card becomes full.